Demonstrators hold banners and placards as they protest against UAE rulers outside the High Court in London on July 30, 2019. (AFP / Tolga AKMEN)
LONDON: The wife of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Jordanian Princess Haya, has applied for a "forced marriage protection order" in an English court in relation to one of her two children.
Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, the 45-year-old daughter of late King Hussein and half-sister to King Abdullah, also applied for a "non-molestation order," which protects from harassment or threats. It was not clear who this order was in relation to.
At London's High Court, she also applied for wardship, which means a child is placed in the hands of the court for major decisions.
A forced marriage protection order helps if someone says they have been forced into marriage or already in a forced marriage, according to official British legal definitions.
When asked about the court proceedings, an official at the London embassy of the United Arab Emirates said: "The UAE government does not intend to comment on allegations about individuals’ private lives."
Representatives of the sheikh did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Dubai government media office declined to comment on "a private matter that is being resolved in the court".
After a previous hearing held in private in London, the couple issued a statement relating to the nature of the case.
"These proceedings are concerned with the welfare of the two children of their marriage and do not concern divorce or finances," it said.
It said the case management hearing would "deal with issues relating to how to proceed to a final hearing to determine the welfare issues".
The case is subject to reporting restrictions.
At the judge's direction on Tuesday, only journalists with certified press credentials through media based within the jurisdiction of England and Wales were allowed to sit in on the proceedings.
The two-day hearing is set to continue on Wednesday.
Haya arrived at the court accompanied by her lawyer Fiona Shackleton, who represented Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, in his divorce from Diana, princess of Wales.
Sheikh Mohammed is being represented by Helen Ward, who acted for Guy Ritchie in his divorce from pop star Madonna and for former Formula One motor racing supremo Bernie Ecclestone in his divorce.
A small anti-Sheikh Mohammed demonstration took place outside the courts complex.
The 70-year-old sheikh, who is also vice-president of the UAE, wed the princess, a former member of the International Olympic Committee, in 2004. Princess Haya, who competed in equestrian jumping in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, has often attended Britain's Royal Ascot horse races with Sheikh Mohammed.
Last September Amnesty International said Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, one of the sheikh's daughters by a different wife, was believed to be held incommunicado in an undisclosed location in the UAE after being forcibly returned in March after fleeing Dubai with the help of friends on a boat that was later intercepted.
The UAE foreign ministry said in December that Sheikha Latifa was home and living with her family, denying as "false" media reports citing a widely circulated self-recorded video by Latifa accusing the family of abusing and restricting her.
(Reports by Reuters and AFP)
